Study: Electric cars can be polluters
LONDON, Oct 5, 2012 -- UPI
Electric cars, often touted as "green" vehicles, might cause
as much or more pollution than gasoline- or diesel-powered cars,
European researchers say.
Greenhouse gas emissions can rise dramatically if coal is
used to produce the electricity to charge cars, and electric car
factories can emit more toxic waste than conventional car
factories, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science
and Technology said.
Writing in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, the researchers
analyzed the life-cycle impact of conventional and electric
vehicles, examining how the production, use and end-of-life
dismantling of a car affect the environment.
"The production phase of electric vehicles proved
substantially more environmentally intensive," than how gasoline
and diesel cars are made, their report said.
"The global warming potential from electric vehicle
production is about twice that of conventional vehicles."
Also, a lot of toxic minerals such as nickel, copper and
aluminum are required in the manufacture of batteries and
electric motors, the researchers said.
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